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A Beginners Guide to Politics
The Conservatives The Conservative and Unionist Party is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdomthat adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House of Commons with 306 seats. It governs in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, with party leader David Cameron asPrime Minister. The Conservative Party was founded in 1834 out of the old Tory Party, founded in 1678, and even today it is still often colloquially referred to as the 'Tory Party' or 'Tories'. The party was one of two dominant parties in the nineteenth century, along with the Liberals. It changed its name to 'Conservative and Unionist Party' in 1912 after merging with the Liberal Unionist Party, although the name is rarely used and it is generally referred to as simply 'The Conservative Party'. During the twentieth century, Labour emerged to become the Conservatives' main rivals, although Conservative Prime Ministers held office for 57 years of the century, includingWinston Churchill (1940–45, 1951–55) and Margaret Thatcher (1979–90). Thatcher's tenure led to wide-ranging economic liberalisation, placing the Conservatives firmly as the most free market and eurosceptic of the three major parties. The party was returned to government in 2010. In the European Parliament, the Conservatives are the largest British party with 25 MEPs, who sit with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, while the party is a member of the soft eurosceptic AECR. They are an opposition party in the Scottish Parliament andWelsh Assembly, and are currently allied to the Ulster Unionist Party, which is part of the four-party Northern Ireland Executive. Labour The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist political party in the United Kingdom. Labour surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after which it formed a majority government under Clement Attlee. Labour was also in government from 1964 to 1970 under Harold Wilson and from 1974 to 1979, first under Wilson and then James Callaghan. The Labour Party was last in government between 1997 and 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, beginning with a majority of 179, reduced to 167 in 2001 and 66 in 2005. Having won 258 seats in the 2010 general election, Labour is the Official Opposition. Labour is also the leading partner in the Welsh Government, the main opposition party in the Scottish Parliamentand has 13 members in the European Parliament. The Labour Party is a member of theSocialist International. The Party's current leader is Ed Miliband MP. Throughout its history, the Labour Party has usually been thought of as being left wing orcentre-left in its politics. Officially, it has maintained the stance of being a socialist party ever since its inception, currently describing itself as a "democratic socialist party".[3] Nonetheless, throughout its history, it has been criticised by other leftist commentators and historians for not being truly socialist in its policies, instead supporting anti-socialist stances such as capitalismand neo-colonialism. The Marxist historians Tony Cliff and Donny Gluckstein for instance described it as a "capitalist workers' party" which "defends the interests of capitalism (particularly when in government) but has the mass support of workers.".[4] Historically the party was broadly in favour of socialism, as set out in Clause Four[5] of the original party constitution, and advocated socialist policies such as public ownership of key industries, government intervention in the economy, redistribution of wealth, increased rights for workers, the welfare state, publicly-funded healthcare and education. Beginning in the late-1980s under the leadership of Neil Kinnock, and subsequently under John Smith and Tony Blair, the party moved away from socialist positions and adopted free market policies, leading many observers to describe the Labour Party as Social Democratic or Third Way, rather than democratic socialist.[6][7][8][9] Party electoral manifestos have not contained the term socialism since 1992, when the originalClause Four was abolished. The new version states: The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect. Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a social liberal political party in theUnited Kingdom. The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. The two parties had formed the electoral SDP–Liberal Alliance for seven years before then. Nick Clegg has been the leader since the 2007 leadership contest. At the2010 general election, 57 Liberal Democrat MPs were elected, making them the third largest caucus in the House of Commons, behind the Conservatives with 307 seats and Labour with 258. The Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Conservatives, with Nick Clegg becoming Deputy Prime Minister and many other Liberal Democrats taking up cabinet roles.[12] Promoting social liberalism, the Liberal Democrats voice strong support for constitutional and electoral reform, and civil liberties. The party president's book of office is John Stuart Mill's 1859 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Liberty On Liberty], which defended individual rights while attacking the tyranny of the majority and the despotism of custom. The party objects to state limitations on individual rights and favours a welfare state that provides for the necessities and amenities of life.[13][14] They support multilateral foreign policy, opposing British participation in the War in Iraq and supporting the withdrawal of troops from the country.[15] The Liberal Democrats are the most pro-European Union of the three main parties in the UK. The party has strong environmentalistvalues—favouring renewable energy and commitments to deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Since their foundation, Lib Dems have advocated electoral reform to useproportional representation in electing the House of Commons, also hoping to replace theHouse of Lords with an elected chamber. British Nationalist Party The British National Party (BNP) is a far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982. The BNP restricted membership to people it referred to as "indigenous Caucasian", effectively excluding non-whites, until 2009 when its constitution was challenged in the courts on grounds of racial discrimination.[14][15] After a vote by members in a February 2010 extraordinary general meeting, the BNP dropped this policy, with chairman Nick Griffin saying that it will now "accept anyone as a member providing they agree with us that this country should remain fundamentally British".[16] The EHRC has stated the court order has "finally, been obeyed by the BNP."[17] The BNP seeks to restore the white ethnicity of Britain that it says existed prior to 1948 through legal means, including "firm but voluntary incentives for immigrants and their descendants to return home",[18] and the repeal of anti-discrimination legislation. It is ostracised by mainstream political parties in the UK.[19] In the 2005 general election, the BNP received 0.7% of the vote but had no candidates elected to Parliament. In the 2006 English local elections, the BNP doubled its number of seats in England. The BNP finished fifth in the 2008 London mayoral election with 5.2% of the vote and secured one of the London Assembly's 25 seats.[20] They won their first county council seats in 2009,[21] together with two seats in the European Parliament.[22] During the 2010 General Election, the BNP received 1.9% of the vote, but failed to win any seats.[23] The BNP's media profile has increased under its current leader, Nick Griffin, a former national organiser of the National Front. Green Party The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) (Welsh: Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr) is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including the semi-autonomous Wales Green Party. The party currently has one Member of Parliament in the House of Commons,Caroline Lucas, who represents the constituency of Brighton Pavilion, and who is also the current party leader.[3] They also have two MEPs in the European Parliament and two members of the London Assembly, as well as 129 councillors in various local councils across England and Wales. The Green Party of England and Wales was created in 1990 when the former UK Green Party, which itself had grown out of the 1970s’ PEOPLE party, devolved into separate parties forScotland, Northern Ireland, and England and Wales. It currently has friendly relations with its Scottish and Northern Irish counterparts, and is affiliated with the Global Greens and theEuropean Green Party. While primarily known as an environmentalist party, it has a history of support for communitarian economic policies, including well-funded, although locally controlled, public services within the confines of a steady-state economy. The party is strongly supportive of proportional representation and follows a line of euroscepticism based on its suspicion of the domination of European policy-making by corporate interests. It takes a liberal approach to social policies such as animal rights, LGBT rights and drug policy reform. The Green Party of England and Wales won its first seat in the House of Commons in the 2010 general election, following its first two MEPs elected in 1999. Quick Definitions of Political Ideologies: the -isms Let’s face it, ideologies are confusing things. The -ism bit seems to makes them so very forgettable. But not anymore! Here’s a quick alphabetical guide to the major (and not so major) political ideas that inspire people to get involved in politics. · Anarchism: Can be grouped around socialistic or individualistic strains. Anarchists believe that the state and forms of compulsory government are harmful or unnecessary to people’s lives. · Communism: Communists believe that capitalist system is damaging to interests of masses, and that workers must unite and overturn it by revolutionary means. Communists also believe in the state ownership of all land, natural resources and industry. · Conservatism: Conservative thought is coloured by the belief that – over time – history has produced institutions and modes of government that function well, and which should be largely preserved for the future. They also believe that political change should be organic and gradual, rather than revolutionary. · Environmentalism: Key political concern is protecting and improving the condition of the natural environment. Many believe there is a need for much greater regulation of humans’ interaction with the environment, and aspects of our lifestyles are environmentally unsustainable. · Feminism: The belief that society and the political system is patriarchal. Feminists seek to improve the political and particularly, the social and economic position of women. · Liberalism: The belief in protecting the rights of individual, so as to ensure their maximum freedom. There have been shifts in liberal thought, the most prominent of which was the move from classical liberalism (minimal role of state, unsecured liberties) to progressive liberalism in early twentieth century. Progressive liberals argued that civil liberties and freedoms must be safeguarded and actively protected by state. · Socialism: Socialists are motivated by the desire to improve quality of life for all members of society. They believe in a political system characterised by strong state direction in political and economic policy. Another key idea is redistribution of resources to redress inequalities inherent in free-market economy. Left Wing VS Right Wing. The talk of politics is full of talk of the left and the right, but what exactly is the difference between the two? Well, the right wing tends to be associated more with 'conservative' values (with a small 'c')... the status quo and tradition. They tend to be me tougher on law and order than the left, and emphasise the importance of free trade and low taxation policies, often cutting tax when in power. A welfare state may be seen as important, but not the extent as for a more left wing society. The right essentially plays up the role of the individual, and in an extreme right wing view, like atomism, there may be no society, but only a collection of individuals. Extreme right wing views are those such as fascism. Most governments these days move away from the right to the centre. The left wing, on the other hand, is associated much more with what may be termed more liberal values, the role of society, and the community as a whole. Law and order policies tend to be more relaxed, taxation is increased by large amounts as they look to create a safety net and look after the poorer members of society through a more robust healthcare system etc. The autonomy and role of the individual is undermined much more in such a system, and the state plays a larger role in people's lives. Many governments of today occupy a centre-left position. These governments are more likely to experience poor law and order records, and declining success of businesses, due to the taxation policies and more relaxed approach to law and order. An extreme left wing view is something like communism, which looks exclusively at the community as a whole, to the detriment of the individuals that constitute that community. Both extremes lead to very unpleasant systems under which to live. All the information amassed I believe to have come straight from the wikipedia pages for each and I have just brought it together.